Notes: Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. Think that got me to an R rating? No? Fuck.
Chapter Seven: Power of the Written Word
Draco had wanted to yell at Potter until he was hoarse from screaming that morning. But since he had won the Quidditch game, he felt that it was his duty to remain around the little bastard and rub it in his face for the rest of the day. So he marched off to lunch with Potter, making smarmy comments along the way. Then, suddenly, he laughed outright. "Potter, do you still have that silly tail on?"
"Yeah," the Gryffindor said dully.
"Want me to take it off?" Draco leered.
"I don't care."
That seriously (Siriusly… hahahah!) stumped the Slytherin. If Harry had said not to take it away, of course that's what he would have done. And if he had said… wait a minute. Draco stopped dead in his tracks, letting the Gryffindor trudge on ahead. His pale, cold hands flew to his cheeks. He couldn't believe what he had just thought! He had actually- in his mind- referred to Potter as… oh horror… HARRY.
That was creepy.
Shaking off the disgusting feeling of familiarity, Draco sprinted through the snow up towards the castle. Soon, he overtook the other boy, and was the first one to reach the Great Hall for lunch. Most of the tables had been removed, save for the Hufflepuff table, which was now the eating place for all winter guests. Draco flounced to a seat in the middle of the table and plopped himself down, starting in on the broccoli casserole before anyone else entered the room (aside from Dumblehead who seemed to live permanently in the dining hall).
"Mr. Malfoy," the older man called jovially down the table "your father sent me a letter that he said I should hand deliver to you." A sickeningly friendly smile played over the wizard's lips. "Shall I give it to you, or do you want to come up here and get it from me?"
Draco rolled his eyes. "Give it to me," he said bluntly.
Dumblehead bounced out of his seat and wibbled down the table. That is the only way to describe the movement he made- or at least, so Draco thought. It was sort of a wobbling trot… He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead and then, there was the letter.
"Enjoy!" chirruped the senile old man before wibbling back to his seat.
Draco rolled his eyes again and slit the letter open with his knife.
Dear Son, (Lucius always headed his letters this way)
I have come to the conclusion that it is high time for you to join our association. You have a good head on your shoulders and I would like you to be by my side as my heir in everything. Your mother is pleased with your progress in school, and I am delighted to hear of your recent victory over Ravenclaw. Keep up the good work and don't forget your family.
Slytherin Pride,
Your Father
Draco's breath stopped in his throat. Usually, he would be amused by his father's unending "Slytherin Pride," but this letter was far more serious than it would seem. The association his father referred to was, of course, the one run by our dear friend Lord Voldemort. Honestly, Draco couldn't care less which side he was on, but he desperately didn't want to get caught in the middle. And he really didn't want to get that ugly snake and skull tattoo.
It would hurt his father if he didn't join the Death Eaters, but it would hurt his own pride to bow down and kiss the feet of that snakey human thing (meaning Voldie). So it was a matter of family or personal pride. Draco wasn't sure he was ready to choose.
He felt sick.
Standing, the blond exited the hall, ignoring stares from those entering and those who had already sat down. He brushed past Potter and ran blindly down the hall and out the front doors. For a while, he continued to run rather aimlessly through the cold air. He wanted to run as far away from his father as he could, but the letter was still clutched in his hand. That was the story of his life. He wanted to keep the Malfoy pride, but he never wanted to be forced into a mold.
"I hate you!" Draco screamed suddenly, stopping dead in his tracks. "I HATE YOU!!!" He stomped his foot childishly. "I hate you," he added, growling, just for extra emphasis. Whether he was referring to his father, fate, or Voldemort, he wasn't quite sure.
Suddenly, he realized he wanted to be nowhere near Hogwarts, either. Perky Potter would probably bug him until he talked. Potter and that stupid stupid tail. Sighing, Draco made his way towards the broom shed which he knew would be temperature regulated and dry. It was not good for the brooms to be kept in anywhere that got damp or to extreme temperatures. In the winter, it was even nicer than the Slytherin common room.
When he reached the broom closet, the first thing he did was snatch up his own broom blanket and wrap it around his shoulders. Then he plunked down in a set of fall-mats that were used for extra-unlucky first years. All he wanted to do was curl up and fall asleep. So that's what he did.
Just before Draco drifted off, his mind wandered to the Quidditch game and how totally adorable Potter had looked when they dismounted….
Draco's Dream:
There were seven people standing around a fire, each with a different color robe on representing the various colors of the rainbow. For a while, they ignored Draco as the blond prowled around their circle. Then, suddenly, the person in the red robe turned and grabbed the Slytherin, shoving him between the circle and the fire.
Draco was really too close to the fire, but he didn't feel any heat. Instead, he felt it scratching against him like old fashioned wool robes. He laughed at the rainbow people and stepped directly into the fire. To his surprise, however, they laughed, too, as if they were his friends.
Something brushed against his ankle, and he looked down, startled to see a fox kit that was tugging on his right pant leg. Its beautiful dark eyes looked up at him innocently, and its stubby, fluffy little tail began to wag happily. He blinked and reached down to pick it up. The little ball of fur jumped into his arms and snuggled into his chest, squirming until it got comfortable.
Just then, a hand descended on Draco's shoulder. He turned and there was his father with a basket full of muffins.
"Want one, Draco? They're blueberry."
"Dad, you know I hate blueberry muffins." The blond made a face.
Lucius shook his head. "They're good for you, Draco. They give you strong bones and great pride in your family." He reached into the basket and held one out. "Take one."
"Dad, I hate blueberry muffins," Draco repeated, stepping back as the pup squirmed in his arms again.
"Draco, eat the damn muffin!"
"No! I hate them!" shouted the Slytherin, and then he began to run as hard as he could off to his right. But, unfortunately, he was unable to move very fast at all. So he pulled up his legs and set them down as though they were covered in molasses. He could hear Lucius getting closer behind him.
"Draco, just one muffin!"
"Noooo!"
To his surprise, the kit suddenly began to cry. Draco looked down, and it was no longer a kit- but a human child with fox ears and a fox tail. "Daddy! Daddy, don' yeww a' me!" it wailed, clinging with pinching little fingers to the boy's shirt.
Draco (though he had no idea who the child's mother was) held it close and comforted it. "It's okay, little one It's okay. Shhh… I won't let them hurt you." Who "they" were was a complete mystery to Draco, but in the dream it seemed like the thing to say.
The child hiccupped and then smiled shakily. His large green eyes shone up his father. "I wuv you, Daddy."
"I wuv you, too."
Suddenly, Draco sat up, panting. He groped around him for a moment in confusion. Where was the… oh… it was a dream. Oh! He slumped back onto the mats, breathing heavily in relief. Wow. That had been… interesting. Flipping over onto his stomach, he curled up and began to doze again.
To be Continued… (and no, I have no idea how long Harry is going to keep the tail)
Special Thanks to…
Slashybubble: Try this link, I know it's in there somewhere: http://straykitty.com/hd/
Ruz: That kid is evil. . I really hate him. I hate everyone. *sigh* Okay, I lied.
Vince: Don't hold your breath. ARG! *kills self*
DangerMouse: Uwa! I'm so thrilled that you read this! Yay! Wow… I'd not seen that Aladdin. Then again, I'm not much of a tv watcher. ^_^;; And I think Draco deserved to win once. He's just human…
Oddballslasher: I figured it was about time for Draco to win. Harry always does and probably always will in the books.
Jaittsuko Kureiko: Did I spell your name right? Yeah, Harry has a heart for everyone in my world. ^_^
Nupil: You bet! And I like talking to my reviewers, too, 'cause I'm all lonely here in college… *cries*
Ivan: Sorry these are short. I have specific things I want to get to in specific chapters. Yeah! I love Haunted Junction… Ninooooo! *heart* I wish there was more ff for that…
Meiko: Poor Ron indeed! He's missing out on all the slashy fun that will come along!
Vel-chan: You mean like Inu Yasha? Of course Kurama-chan has ears, but doesn't "sit" unless… I'm sure… Hiei asks him to. ^_~
Neko-chan: It really wasn't my idea about half wizards being gay or whatever… but I liked the idea so I kept it. Nya ha ha haaaaa!
Venus Princess: O_O That is one fucking long review. 'scuse my language. Hahaha! Harry hanging like a possum… yeah, I'd like to see that, too. Lol… so how did the Halloween stuff go? Other than the nonslashy room?
Adrienne Levine: Ah… I would keep it shorter, but I am very lonely here at college and I want to talk to people and you guys are good for it. Thanks for the thanks!
And to all those who reviewed, I love you guys! And guess what? I really did have a dream about a puppy- but it stayed a puppy and I named it Chibiko after that little K/H doujinshi… and he was so cute… and I want him back… *runs off crying*